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US trade deficit drops in February 2017

Trade

The deficit fell to $43.6 billion in February, 9.6 percent below January’s deficit of $48.2 billion, the Commerce Department reported. Exports rose a small 0.2 percent to $192.9 billion. Imports dropped 1.8 percent to $236.4 billion as the flow of Chinese goods dropped by $8.6 billion, led by a reduction cell phone imports.

The trade deficit with China slipped in February to $23 billion, 26.6 percent below the January total; but still too high. And the reduction may be technical due to the Chinese New Year and not part of a trend: YET.

The small rise in exports in February was led by U.S.-made autos and autos parts, which climbed 1.5 percent to the highest level since July 2014. Exports of petroleum products were up 8.6 percent. Those gains helped offset declines in exports of commercial airplanes, farm products and industrial engines.

The increase in exports of goods was driven by consumer goods which increased $.7 billion to $17.1 billion and military and other goods which increased $.5 billion to $4.9 billion. The decrease in imports of goods were driven by consumer goods which decreased $3.1 billion to $49.0 billion and automotive vehicles, parts and engines which decreased $2.6 billion to $29.1 billion. There was a services surplus for the month of $21.4 billion.

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Trump administration reviewing extreme vetting policies

Satellite

Trump officials told the newspaper they are evaluating whether to require foreign nationals who visit the U.S. to divulge cell phone contacts and passwords for social networking websites.

Opinion:
Not everyone has an internet profile. Some people hate the internet. So the government can’t just assume because a person does not have an internet footprint means they are lying. On the other hand, the bad guys will use phones that reveal nothing. They might even dummy their phones so as to put innocent people on their phone/internet list and then if they do anything, those people might end up on a watch list who do not belong there.

In a way it is good that Trump wants to ask for the information rather than just use bio-metrics and some clandestine way to come up with the information. But either way the information is not likely to be full proof in revealing anything. People can use radios for communication. The more sophisticated hack through satellites to relay information. The less sophisticated may use carrier pigeons or smoke signals or just pass notes in a crowded bar.

Is the potential evolution of our cellphone number becoming our identity a good or bad thing? I don’t know.

I started out loving technology and I was usually ahead of the game in understanding various tech. Sayata actually started out to be a tech company and I may still go back to writing programs. But there is a part of me that totally hates tech right now. And these kind of conversations that attempt to rationalize the total invasion of privacy does not make me grow any fonder of technology.

I grew up in a world where the United States was defined as the good guy and the USSR was defined as the bad guy. And now seeing the USA doing things that we were taught are WRONG when the USSR was doing similar just makes me feel sad.

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Four governors team up, urge feds to leave the marijuana business alone

Governors who lead states that have moved  toward legalization of marijuana have a growing concern that President Trump and Attorney General Sessions  will hurt people who have been building businesses in the grand experiment to legalize marijuana.  Other states are concerned as well as they have been moving in the direction of legalization as well.  If President Trump were to try to upend what these and other states are doing, it could have serious political consequences.

 

Four governors team up, urge feds to keep marijuana enforcement status quo

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University of South Dakota Installs Free Condom Dispensers

South Dakota Department of Health says that in 2016, the state saw the most chlamydia cases ever in one year and the most gonorrhea cases since the 1980s. The number of people who have unprotected sex is again a growing problem. The college wants to balance between trying to make sure that students know the condoms are available but at the same time provide some privacy for students who may be embarrassed if seen getting condoms.

The problem of STDs on the rise is not limited to just South Dakota.

There were more reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases during last few years than ever before in the United States, according to the latest STD surveillance report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
So the bottom line is, PRACTICE SAFE SEX. Even if you are in what you think is a monogamous relationship, make sure that your partner is of the same impression. At the beginning of a relationship, regardless of all the promises and assertions use a condom. And also consider that if your lover is not comfortable with a condom, that is a sign that they HAVE NOT been practicing safe sex.

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Of Microchips and Euthanasia

When reading an article on the Swedish startup hub Epicenter implanting microchips in employees I couldn’t help but think about the movie “Logan’s Run,” where people are only allowed to live to the age 21. I thought the age was 35 but apparently the age in the movie is 21. (I wonder if the change in age is part of a Mandela Effect.) Regardless, the age in the movie doesn’t matter. That isn’t the point. The point is, what if the microchip people allow to be implanted in their body has some kind of kill switch such as to send blood pressure extra high to finish the person off if their microchip registers future health cost increasing for that person.

That thought might sound extra paranoid but can you put anything past the rich trying to reduce the cost of their slaves, I mean employees.

In the article some employee says “I like being able to open a door by just waving my hand.” Isn’t that the very definition of lazy? Maybe that person deserves to have a kill switch implanted. Just kidding. Not serious. I don’t wish harm on anyone.

Articles:
About microchips being implanted:
Employees getting implanted with microchips

Legality of euthanasia in various countries and states within the United States